Voice
by Leaf of Shining Moss
Summary: They hit. They hurt. Even though you don't seem to notice, it's slowly killing me. All of them. I'm running out of options. Please someone help me, or is everyone this cruel? Stop treating me like a helpless kit, and actually do something. Maybe I'm helpless after all.
1. Birth

**Hello! This is a story based off of a challenge I did recently. I'm going for the goal of at least 1,500 words per chapter, excluding this one. I will take suggestions, and will likely use all of them. Also, I will reply to reviews, either by PM, or in the chapter itself. Please do not submit cats unless I ask, and if so only kits. Now then, please enjoy the story!**

It was almost an average Newleaf day. Greenleaf was just around the corner, and prey had never seemed better. The smell of flowers engulfed the camp, and the mingling of peers was a happy mutter. The year so far had been as peaceful as any other, and there was little to no concern over the future. The clan seemed like it could stay peaceful forever.

One cat, a pitch black tom, was running frantically around his den. He grabbed at plants only an inexperienced kit would try to eat, and shouted orders at a small cat. This smaller cat was a light grey she-cat. Her green eyes shone in excitement as she raced across the happy clan into another den. She cleared a few cats out of the den, and one started to pace around the outside of the den.

"Darkoak!" the she-cat called, "Hurry!"

Just a moment later the pitch black tom, Darkoak, ran to the den.

"Hold these," he pushed herbs to her, "Ready, Featherpaw?"

Featherpaw nodded, taking hold of the plants. The smell filled her nostrils, and she had to stop herself from spitting them out. She looked to Darkoak, and he nodded, his dark blue eyes reassuring her. Nobody spoke, and it was almost painfully quiet as the soft breeze whispered. They waited, ready. Suddenly a nearby cat cried out, and the cats got to work.

"Hold onto this stick," Featherpaw muttered, handing the queen a stick, "Bite it when you're in pain,"

Nobody was allowed inside the den for a long time. Only Featherpaw, Darkoak, and a few others remained.

"You got this, Ivyblossom," a white she-cat with grey splotches whispered. Three kittens were huddled along her belly, sleeping.

She looked to them and whispered with a smile, "They'll even have friends,"

Ivyblossom let out another yelp, this time louder, and the stick broke. Everyone was quiet as Featherpaw and Darkoak helped the queen. What seemed like hours later, a small kitten laid near her mother.

Like her mother, she had a tortoiseshell pelt. While Ivyblossom had many white patches, the kitten had white paws, ears, tail tip, and belly.

"Bring in her father," Ivyblossom muttered, but Darkoak shook his head.

"There's one more still. However..." he shook away his thoughts.

Again, they seemed to wait at least an hour, but soon came another kitten. He was quickly warmed and placed my his sister. He was a black cat, like his father, but with white splotches like his mother. Soon his father was invited into the den.

"Shadewhisker," Ivyblossom smiled at the black tom. He looked to the kittens.

"Are you ready to name them?"

Ivyblossom nodded, and they spent until Moonhigh thinking of names. Then, Ivyblossom looked to the smaller black kit.

"Ravenkit," she purred, her tail swaying over him.

"Perfect," Shadewhisker purred back, then looked to the she-kit.

"How about..." Ivyblossom paused, thinking.

"Eaglekit." he smiled, saying my name for the first time.

**Thanks for reading! Chapters should hopefully be uploaded weekly, on sundays. Please review as it means a lot!**


	2. The Sight of Happiness

I felt my side being poked, and groaned. I curled into mothers fur more. Suddenly, I was grabbed by my scruff and thrown back. I moved around, but little paws were holding me to the ground. I nipped at one of them, and heard a hiss above me.

"Mom!" I recognized my brothers voice, "Eaglekit bit me!"

I heard a sigh and was soon placed by my mother again, "You did pin her to the ground, Ravenkit."

"I was only trying to get her to open her eyes!" he whined.

I sighed, "You're the one that open you're eyes early! I'm on time!"

"Who told you that?" Ravenkit asked, confused.

I sighed, "Featherpaw,"

"W-Well," Ravenkit stumbled over his words, "D-Darkoak did..."

"Yeah," I sighed, "Listen to the old-"

Suddenly mom coughed, and we both stopped talking. I heard many pawsteps run into the den. I knew it was the other kits because of their scent. Turning my belly towards my mother, I acted like I was sleeping.

"Is Eaglekit still asleep?" I heard another kit, Owlkit, ask.

"N-" Ravenkit started, "Ow!"

"Sorry," I heard Ivyblossom mutter, "Yes, Eaglekit is asleep."

"Come here!" Spottedcloud called to her three kits. I barely managed to stop myself from jumping. Spottedcloud was always so quiet.

I let out a fake snore, glad I didn't have to greet the others. They would only bug me about opening my eyes. It's not like I wanted to have my eyes closed! Sadly, I didn't seem to have the strength. Trying once more, I felt pain seer my eyelids. Instinctively I winced, then again as I realized what I did.

"She is awake!" Owlkit's brother, Pinekit yelled.

Ashkit, his other sister sighed, "You think?"

"Is she okay?" Owlkit whispered.

I felt a paw push me over, and my mother whispered to me reassuringly. Slowly, I tried to open my eyes again. Light burned my eyes, but I think I opened them for at least a second.

"Good job, Eaglekit!" my brother cheered, "Once more!"

Gathering my strength, I pushed my eyes open once more. It still hurt, but the pain was bearable. Looking up, I saw my mother for the first time. Her fur had many different colors, but I lacked the words to name them. Ivyblossom purred loudly, as the other kits cheered for me. Even Spottedcloud was purring.

I turned to look at my own pelt, but instead saw Ravenkit. His fur was all one color, except for patches of another color. White? Black? The words were familiar and seemed to stick, but I didn't really care. He was smiling; that's all that mattered.

I looked around the den, but nothing stuck. I saw Owlkit, who was like a small, lighter version of Pinekit. Then Ashkit was just one color, and stood out from the rest. Spottedcloud was fluffy, and was what I believed was white and lighter black splotches.

Suddenly, I had an idea. Quickly turning around, I looked at Ravenkit who seemed confused. Sloppily, I pounced on him. I managed to pin him to the ground as he struggled. The others laughed at the sight.

"Who's pinning who now?" I smirked.

"I'm pinning you!" Ravenkit yelled pushing up.

I fell onto my back, but quickly got up. Running around the den, I dodged my brother. The ground flew beneath me and I laughed in delight. Sure, I could have ran around before, but now I could _see_ the walls!

After some time of playing, I fell down. My paws ached, and looking out the den I could see the sun start to set. A tail pushed me closer to my mom, and I laid there, proud of my day. Maybe tomorrow I could explore outside the den!

"Get some sleep," Ivyblossom mumbled tiredly, "Get some sleep my kits,"

"Eaglekit!" a familiar voice called, "Wake up, Eaglekit!"

I turned my head away from the sudden noise. My dream had been so peaceful, and I wasn't ready to get up. The voice called once more, and I noticed it was Ravenkit. Why did he have to wake me up? Sleep never killed anyone!

"I guess we won't explore camp together…"

My ears twitched, giving away that I was up. Trying to hide my excitement, I slowly rose to my paws. It had been a few days since I opened my eyes, but mom didn't want me out of the den so soon. Had Ravenkit really not explored camp already? Did he wait for me? I eagerly turned my head towards him, and saw him smile. He really had waited, hadn't he?

"Ready to go then?" his round eyes gleamed, "The other kits want to show us around!"

I nodded happily, "I thought you would've explored without me! I've been stuck in this den for days!"

"Why would I do that?" he asked, "I _am_ your littermate after all!"

I hid my smile, heading to the nursery's entrance. I heard pawsteps after me, and stopped at the edge. Already, I saw an amazing amount of cats. They were sharing prey, laughing, and getting along just fine. My eyes only widened. Sure, I had looked out before, but now the sight looked intimidating. Would I have to remember everyone's names? What if they didn't like me? Ravenkit brushed beside me.

"Don't worry," he muttered, his voice shaking, "The other kits are right there."

I nodded and headed to the three kits, my brother close behind. They were laughing, talking to each other and patiently waiting for us. Padding closer, Ashkit looked to us.

"You guys look like you saw an owl!" she laughed, blue eyes shining happily.

Pinekit laughed too, nudging his other sister, "They kind of did!"

"Not cool guys," Owlkit muttered, pawing at the ground, however her amber eyes gave away her happiness.

Smiling, I looked to Ravenkit, "Ready to go, furball?"

He laughed, pointing out that my coat was fluffier than his. It was reliving, not being so scared. Mentally, I thanked the other kits for lightening the mood. Looking around once more, I saw a few cats glancing at us. They wore brighter smiles than the sun, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Ivyblossom. Pride shone in her bright amber eyes. These cats weren't so scary after all! Still, I ducked my head down in embarrassment.

"Let's go," Ravenkit agreed, and the other three nodded. Owlkit bounded ahead, and we quickly followed her.

"To the apprentices den!" Pinekit yelled, sprinting after his sister.

Ashkit laughed, "Just another three moons until we're apprentices!"

I chased after them along with my brother. We still had around five moons to go! The apprentices den was simply a clump of ferns on the edge of camp. As each kit dashed in one by one, I noticed the slight smell of unfamiliar cats, their scent almost completely covered by the strong ferns. Going into the den myself, my eyes widen as I noticed it was quite bigger than I had originally thought. A tree stump laid in the middle and two unfamiliar cats were eating prey. They looked to us and smiled.

"Hi kits!" a silver-blue she-cat greeted, her grey eyes shining as she looked to the tom next to her, "I'm Mistpaw and this is my brother Swiftpaw!"

Swiftpaw swallowed part of the mouse in front of him, "I can speak for myself, Mistpaw. However, yes, I'm Swiftpaw."

I smiled at the black and white tom, "I'm Eaglepaw! Nice to meet you!"

"I-I'm Ravenkit," my brother muttered, slightly more nervous.

The apprentices started talking again, but I wasn't really listening. I was looking around the den, eager to go to the next. At this rate, the entire day would be gone before we even started. My white paws twitched in excitement at the day ahead. We still had so much to do! See all the dens, meet the other cats, and of course we needed time to play!

"Eaglekit?" I jumped at the noise, noticing the others staring at me.

Ravenkit nudged me, "We're going to the Warriors den! Come on!"

I jumped up instantly, calling a goodbye to the two apprentices. Within seconds we were racing back near the nursery and to the warriors den. It was next to a nettle patch, and under a large bush. Just as we were about to enter, an object darker than the sky at moonhigh pushed us back. I yelped as I landed on my back, getting pinned as the object pressed on my belly.

"Give me my sister back!" Ravenkit yelled, leaping unto the fogen object. The other kits soon followed, with battle cres of their own. Trying to help, I unsheathed what I had of claws. At one point I even nipped it. Before I knew it, I was released, and turned to attack the enemy. Quickly, it lifted itself out of view.

"You might want to see Darkoak and Featherpaw about your tail,"

I looked to see my mother, purring to a large black tom. His grey ears twitched as he turned to see her too. Almost immediately, he started purring too. They looked so happy together…

"I'll be fine," the tom insisted, giving his tail a lick, "Trust me Ivyblossom,"

"I wouldn't be so sure!" she laughed, "Our kits are strong, aren't they, Shadewhisker?"

Only a moment passed before we were yelling.

"Wait you're _the_ Shadewhisker?" Ravenkit asked.

"Dad!?" I added.

"Wait, why did you pin your kit!" my brother half hissed.

"Yeah!" I nodded, "You pinned me!"

Everybody was soon laughing at the outburst. Shadewhisker warned us that the warriors den was off limits, and I sighed. When could I go into the den? Why was it off limits? Did they hold secret meetings in there? Although I doubted it, what other reason could there be?

"Well," Shadewhisker sighed, "I have a hunting patrol with Skysong, Mistpaw, and Hailstrike, See you guys later!"

I yelled in protest as he padded to the light colored cats. He looked back once, his blue eyes promising a return, before leaving the ravine. A little bit inside me fluttered with joy of seeing my father, while another dropped as he left. My tail neared the ground, but I knew it was pointless. I didn't want to be an attention hog. Besides, it wasn't like he left forever. Shaking my head, I admitted I was over-reacting.

"Come on!" Owlkit nudged me, "Want to see the medicine cats den?"

I nodded, noticing the others had already to pad off. Eager to see Featherpaw, I followed them. The she-cat had came into the nursery a lot before, but that was before I opened my eyes. Darkoak would also be nice to meet. He also had came into the den once in a while, but was fairly quiet, and not really all that easy to approach, even if I could've seen him.

Suddenly, I bumped into Ravenkit, I jumped and noticed we were all standing near a tunnel of ferns. It lead to a crack in a rock, big enough for a full grown cat to pass into.

Looking at the other, Pinekit mouthed, 'Maybe not now.'

I curiously pushed myself onwards, and managed to make out some words.

"Stop denying it!" Featherpaw yelled.

"Deny what?" Darkoak asked. His voice was frail and cracking. He suddenly started coughed.

I couldn't make out the rest other than a few bits of Featherpaw calling her mentor old. My ears strained, but I forced myself not to be too nosy.

"What are you kits doing?" A voice boomed. We all jumped and turned to see a light brown tabby tom behind us. His eyes narrowed, but at the same time he seemed to laugh slightly.

"Nothing, I uhh," Ashkit looked around, "Stubbed my paw?"

"Do all of you need to be here?," the older cat rolled his eyes, "Anyways, I need to talk to Darkoak. Leader business."

"Wait, what?" Ravenkit's eyes widen, "Y-Y-Your…"

"Sparrowstar," the leader finished, "Yes,"

The other kits simply nodded, in shock, muttering apologies.I followed them, taking a last look as the leader slipped into the crevice. To my surprise he was quite small and scrawny. Wouldn't a leader be bigger? He did have some muscles though, so perhaps that's why. I shrugged, following the others. They lead us to an old log, many branches making a maze to get to the den inside. After getting a few scratches we made it inside. Two cats laid there.

"Hello," a ginger red she-cat purred, her green eyes shining, "Who do we got here?"

"Just us kits, Aspentail!" Ashkit answered, "We brought Ravenkit and Eaglekit too!"

"Who's here?" a golden she-cat asked, her white tail tip skittering across the den floor.

Aspentail looked to her, "The kits, Goldenpetal."

"Who?" she repeated.

"The kits!" Aspentail yelled louder.

"What's that?" Goldenpetal asked, "You know my ears aren't good…"

"THE KITS!" Aspentail shouted.

Goldenpetal squinted at us, "Stop shouting lies Aspentail. There's no pits here. Only kits. Hello kits."

We greeted her back, trying our best not to laugh at the old she-cat. It was hard, to say the least. The elders chatted to each other for a moment or two before turning back to us.

"Want to hear a story?" Goldenpetal asked us, almost screaming. Of course, we nodded.

She started telling us a story of other clans, ancient battles, how prey got its name, and even of blind, deaf, or mute cats. We listened intently, asking questions as soon as we thought of them. Where is Skyclan? Did we win sunningrocks then? Did the bird really get its name from a kittypet? What happened to Echokit, when she couldn't talk? The answers amazed us, as we ignored everything around us, getting swallowed into the story.

Suddenly, I found myself nodding off. Was the moon already rising? I laid my head on my paws, drifting into a deep, dark sleep.

I woke up slightly as I was dropped into a familiar nest. Looking over, I saw Spottedcloud placing Ravenkit near me. Her own kits laid in a nest nearby. Where was my mother, Ivyblossom? I looked to Spottedcloud questionly.

"Sleep well, Eaglekit," she purred, seeing me awake, "Your mother is talking to your dad. She'll be here in the morning. Sleep tight."

I nodded, glancing at the entrance to the nursery. Spottedcloud must have brought us here from the Elder's den. Ivyblossom would be back soon. We would get to play in the

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><p>Something poked me, and I groaned. When it poked again, I simply rolled over to my other side.<p>

"Stop it Ravenkit," I hissed.

I heard a few quiet laughs, "I'm not Ravenkit."

Opening my eyes, a ginger she stood in front of me, her siblings behind me. Ravenkit was still asleep, on my other side.

"Ashkit?" I stood up, slowly, curious, "It's still dark out!"

"I know." she smiled, "Now that you've explored camp, why don't we explore the forest?"

My eyes widened, and I could only nod in agreement.

**Chapter 3 and 4 is when things start getting a little more interesting... Merry Christmas!**


	3. Lost

I looked over to my brother, and went to wake him up. Just as I was about to shake Ravenkit awake, long fur brushed warmly against my side. Stopping suddenly, my paw hovered over the peacefully sleeping Ravenkit. His chest rose and fell slowly, and I sighed as my brother got more sleep than I did. Placing my paw down, I turned to see Pinekit standing near me.

"What?" I whispered harshly, trying not to wake our mothers.

He looked to Ravenkit, "Leave him here, Eaglekit. Ravenkit will only be getting in our way, getting lost, or maybe just to scared to go. If you wake him up from his peaceful sleep, he'll be mad. Trust me."

"No!" I half shouted, glaring, "Ravenkit is braver than you, and I won't go without him!"

Pinekit was about to yell back when Ashkit placed a paw on his tail, stopping him.

"Just let her bring her brother with," Ashkit sighed to her brother, "We're wasting precious time,"

Pinekit muttered something brief in forced agreement, and I turned back to Ravenkit, shaking him awake. At first nothing changed other than his breather becoming quicker. A second or so later of shaking he groaned, and then he finally got up.

"What is it?" he yawned, looking at us like we were crazy.

Owlkit jumped forwards, "We're exploring the forest, come on!"

Ravenkit got up quickly, likely noticing that Owlkit was ready to ditch us. As he glanced around, I noticed his blue, almost amber eyes shone in excitement. Unlike what Pinekit thought, he wasn't only brave, but willing to go. Any doubt was swept away, and I couldn't help but let out a small, faint purr.

"Hurry up!" Owlkit whined, "We are wasting time!"

I helped my brother steady himself from getting up so fast; then all five of us snuck out of the den. We warily glanced around, then crept towards the apprentices den. I jumped slightly as I stepped on a fallen leaf. Looking around warily, I saw a dark brown cat standing guard near the entrance. Luck must have been on our side, as they didn't notice us even leave the nursery. Either way, we wouldn't try just leaving through the main entrance.

We carefully crawled towards the apprentices den. Just as we entered the den, Snowpaw let out a soft growl, causing us to jump. He didn't say anything though, and looking over I saw he was fidgeting in his sleep. Poor guy.

Ashkit waved her tail for us to follow her through some bushes lining the den. As we did, we came upon a rocky slope. Without a word, we made our way up.

The others kits were just getting to the stop of the slope when I slipped on a stray rock, falling down a few tail-lengths. One of them chuckled, and I felt hot in embarrassment. Quickly, I raced to the top of the rocky slope, my white paws beating the ground.

"Way to slip," Pinekit chuckled, and I glared at the tabby tom.

"Yeah, I did my best," I chuckled half-heartedly.

My blue eyes widened as I looked around the forest. Tall trees lined the edge, and fresh greenleaf scenery made the place so much more amazing. Birds chattered away, and the sharp scent of nearby ferns made me flinch. The grass underpaw tickled me, and I let out a large sneeze.

"Come on, let's go!" Owlkit whined, her tail whipping back and forth in excitement, and her amber eyes giving away to her impatience.

We all let out short murmurs of agreement, still in shock of our new surroundings. Owlkit headed off into the undergrowth, and I quickly followed, not wanting to get left behind. As we entered the forest, we came across a sandy dip in the ground. Red sand filled the clearing, and many pawsteps were still visibly imprinted.

"Is this the sandy hollow Swiftpaw was talking about?" Ravenkit whispered to no one in particular.

We looked around the hollow for a little longer, but there wasn't anything of interest. Looking at the other kits, I saw Owlkit was already bouncing on her heels, eager to explore more of the territory. Although the other kits appeared calm, even Ashkit looked excited to carry on.

"Ready to go?" I asked them quietly, and just as the words left my mouth, we were off.

We sprinted through the dark forest, and although that wasn't very fast at all, it was fun. We jumped over fallen branches, and crawled under a larger log. Tripping, we simply laughed, and got back up. We no longer cared if our loud pawsteps scared away a small mouse, and as long as Thunderclan didn't manage to hear us, we were fine.

We stopped as we entered a group of tall pine trees. We all stopped, exhausted from the trip, and laid down. My side ached in pain, and my heart pounded against my chest. Even the older kits looked worn out.

"How… far… are we?" Owlkit asked, panting.

"I don't know," Ashkit sighed, "Maybe… a long ways away?"

"You don't... say?" Ravenkit rolled his eyes at the ginger she.

We all chuckled lightly, but the air seemed tense. What if we couldn't get back? What would we do then? We still were on the territory, right? I gulped down the heavy air as worry took it's place.

Staring at the moon and the stars, I noticed the moon starting to fall across the horizon.

"Hey guys!" I looked up to see Pinekit a bit aways, looking down at something.

"What?" I sighed, shakily getting to my paws.

"There's a pool of water here!"

I quickly padded over, and the others followed. Pinekit was right, as there was a shallow dip of water nearby. It likely formed from the rain we had a night or two before. Either way, we all quickly took our sips, the cool water feeling relieving the tension temporarily.

After sipping from the small pool, we simply sat in silence. Boredom seemed to take over, and with it, the realization that perhaps this wasn't the best idea.

"Hey," I sighed, as I rose to my paws, "You guys ready to head out once more? The sun will be rising soon."

The kits all nodded without a word, and we slowly walked back into the forest. It wasn't exciting or fun. In fact, it felt like a chore. We had to get back to camp before the sun rose, and our clanmates noticed we were missing. Sadly, we were lost, and could only wait for the inevitable.

"Guys," Pinekit yawned, "Could we rest in that den?"

I looked up sharply. What den? Looking to Pinekit, I followed his gaze to a small opening in a nearby hill. It looked comfortable and safe. Perhaps…

"Why not?" Ashkit nodded, on her way already. Without much of a choice, we followed. Getting closer, the sharp scent of ferns layered over another scent, which would hide ours quite well.

"G-guys," I turned to see Ravenkit had stopped, his eyes wide, "What's that scent?"

"What, Ravenkit?" Owlkit started, "Do you think it's a fo-"

"Fox?" I paused, "I-It could be…"

We all quickly backed away from the den. My fur fluffed out slightly, and I looked at the others. Pinekit's green eyes were wide as he stared at the den, Ravenkit's black fur was also puffed out as he backed away from the den, and Owlkit's tail seemed larger than a warriors, it's white tip twitching.

"Wh-Where's…" I started to ask, but then Ashkit came rushing out of the den, her blue eyes wide.

"Foxes!" she yelled, running to the nearby pines. For second we were still, but when ginger fur flashed in the den, we sprinted.

I ran to the trees, not waiting to see where the others went. I heard light pawsteps behind me, which I think were Ravenkit's. Either way, they soon stopped as I sprinted around the trees. The tall pines soon turned back to oak trees. My sides we're engulfed in pain, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop.

I tripped over a fallen branch, twisting one of my legs as I fell. I let out a small screech from the pain. I tried to keep running, but my back left leg could no longer support my weight so easily. Limping, I went as fast as I could.

_Where were the others? Were they safe? Were they back at camp?_

The ringing in my ears faded slowly, but another roar took over. Soon after, I came across an opening in the seemingly endless trees. There laid the river, and behind it, the rising sun. Only now did my fur start to set, and panic start to fade. The roar of the river seemed somehow calming, and even my heartbeat slowly calmed down.

Limping, I headed over to a group of rocks nearby. They were warmer than the cold ground and laying down, I started to fall asleep.

Sleep didn't come easily, and panic still kept its grip on me. No longer was I worried about my safety, but the others. Did the fox chase them? Are they okay? Where were they anyways?

I curled into an even tighter ball, trying to push my worries away. They would be fine, I was sure of it. Ashkit had started running before us, Pinekit was ready to run even before hand, Owlkit was the fastest of us, and Ravenkit had been near me for a while, right?

I could only hope so. Although I had closed my eyes tightly, tears still seemed to peak through and I wiped them away with my paw.

Just as I was about to finally drift off into a long, deep sleep, a scream filled my ears.

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><p><strong>Spottedmist - Glad you like it!<strong>

**Winslow'sPhoenix - Hope you like it!**

**Scarlet Blue Frost - Calm down! XD**

**CrazyFM - Aren't they? :-)**

**CrystalStar of LightClan - Sorry! I was a bit busy with school work, and this chapter was really hard to write anyways. Hope you like it!**

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><p><strong>Question: Should I keep answering reviews from now on?<strong>

**Also, who is your favorite character?**


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